As we've seen the past year and a half with Carey Price, an elite goaltender makes the difference between a good team and a great one. With him in the lineup, Montreal is a force to be reckoned with and arguably the best team in the league, at 10-2. With him sidelined due to injury, they are merely mediocre, as evidenced by their 10-11-3 record. Many would argue -- and rightly so -- that there are a number of factors at play, but no one player has as big an impact on any team as the netminder, especially one as gifted as last year's Vezina and Hart trophy winner.
The same can be said in the fantasy world; in many league formats, one or two goalies are often responsible for three or four categories by themselves. That makes the impact these players have all the more critical -- getting stuck with a key injury or an underperforming goalie could cost you many weeks; it's vital to get that shored up as fast as possible. Unfortunately, it's almost impossible mid-season to get key players in those roles without a trade. With most leagues employing between 12 and 16 teams, starters are at a premium. Fortunately for you, you came to the right place. None of these goalies will have the same impact as Carey Price, but if you run into an injury or benching situation, these relatively available goaltenders will get you through the darkest points.
Michal Neuvirth
G
RECORD8-4-2
GAA2.06
SV%93.7
Between Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth, Philadelphia has been blessed with an abundance of talent between the pipes this year. The two have been platooning for the better part of the year, and to great success. Where Mason has posted a solid seven wins in 20 starts and a 2.73 GAA/.913 SV% with two shutouts, it's been Neuvirth that has been more impressive when given the opportunity. In 14 starts, he has a 2.06 GAA/.937 SV% to go with eight wins and three shutouts. His performance has been so good that many pools have him ranked in the top 25 in the league. The biggest source of concern for recommending Neuvirth has been the platooning nature of his situation. His numbers in November were fantastic, but he only played in six games; the same is true of December. If your secondary goaltender is struggling or gets hurt, Neuvirth looks to be the only real alternative you have to a netminder who can continue his solid performance for the foreseeable future. His ownership levels are at 50 percent -- very low considering the performances he's continuing to put up. Should Mason falter, it's completely possible that Neuvirth could take over the net. Doing so would likely hurt his numbers slightly, but his increased starts would more than add to his value to offset.
Thomas Greiss
STL • G • #1
RECORD9-5-2
GAA2.03
SV%93.4
Crease incumbent Jaroslav Halak has been solid for the Islanders this year, but he's been platooning with the upstart Greiss for much of the year. When given the opportunity, the younger German has been stellar, posting a 2.03 GAA/.933 SV% with nine wins and a shutout in 15 starts. While these numbers are eerily reminiscent of Halak's own statistics, the Islander coaching staff seem content to give Greiss more playing time to give the older Czech some rest. Halak is notorious for being injury-prone; finding a worthy understudy in Greiss has given the Islanders a way to get the most out of their starter. For fantasy GMs, Greiss is a wonderful third goaltender to have on your bench; playing for a solid team like the Islanders will almost certainly lead to a higher-than-average number of wins. His performance this year has been worthy to get him into the top 50 for many pools, and yet, his status as a platooning goalie has kept his ownership in the low 30s. To make the situation even more interesting, Halak's injury-prone nature means he's only a twisted ankle or groin pull away from the crease full-time. He's a solid gamble should you need one.
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James Reimer
BUF • G
RECORD7-4-4
GAA2.01
SV%93.5
I've mentioned him a number of times this year as a solid go-to candidate for a goaltender who doesn't get enough respect in fantasy circles. Yes, granted, his team is a marginal step up from dogmeat this year, but as he's done time and time again in his career, he has battled back from mediocrity to snatch an opportunity to run with things. His record of 7-4-4 in 15 starts doesn't look terribly fantastic at first blush, but when you see that the Leafs are a dismal 5-10-3 without him in net, his performance looks all-the-more impressive. During those 15 games, he has posted a 2.01 GAA/.936 SV% - statistics that have him in the top of the league for both. It's been a long time since we've been able to say at this point in the season that a Maple Leaf goaltender is in the top of the league for anything (losses notwithstanding). His injury at the start of December seems to be fully healed, and he'll be ready to start in the next game or two -- meaning his ownership rates of 32 percent look to be ready for a solid spike upward when that happens. If your pool places a greater emphasis on saves than wins, consider adding him. He's shown this year that he's still a very worthy goalie at the NHL level, and his numbers are fantastic.
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John Gibson G, Ducks:Where other platoon systems have been competitions for taking the crease, this year's situation in Anaheim looks to be a game of hot potato. Neither Gibson nor Frederick Andersen have been terribly impressive in the first half of the season, but it looks like the former has emerged as the owner of the twine in the last month. Andersen's shaky 5-8-4 record with a 2.59 GAA/.911 SV% has been indicative of the type of season Anaheim has had so far; Gibson's 4-4-2 with a 1.97 GAA/.923 SV% looks to be the way forward for the Ducks. The younger Gibson has played all but one game in the last month, and it's little wonder that Anaheim looks to be turning things around. While they're still dead last in the West, they're only five points removed from a playoff position -- with several games in hand. This team is still largely the same team that dominated the West last year, and it's full of potential should they fully find their game. Gibson has been given the reins, and looks to be running with it well.
Anders Nilsson
G
RECORD10-10-1
GAA2.89
SV%90.8
Nilsson is the hockey equivalent to Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities." The start of the season was his worst of times -- posting a humbling 5-7-1 record along with a 2.85 GAA/.907 SV%. His status as the understudy was solidified. December brought the best of times -- a five-game winning streak with a modest 2.94 GAA/.908 SV%. The spate of good luck combined with Cam Talbot's hopeless play has thrust him into the starting position in Edmonton. The result: a young goalie who has shown flashes of brilliance who has the crease and has been allowed to run with it. I must emphasize here: this is a fallback position, not one I would strongly recommend. Edmonton has been hot and cold this year, and Nilsson's numbers have not been nearly stable enough to place a solid bet on. However, desperate times call for desperate measures, and starters are at enough of a premium that your league setup might make him attractive merely for that reason.
Mike Condon
G
RECORD10-9-3
GAA2.48
SV%90.4
Unlike many of the former goalies, Condon's position is exclusively temporary in the midst of Carey Price's injury. His numbers this year have been less than impressive; while his 9-8-3 record has been decent, and his 2.43 GAA has been pretty good, both statistics are directly affected by the quality of the team in front of him. His .902 SV% indicates that his ability to stop the puck when it gets to him is anything but up to snuff. What he does offer is starting goaltending for the Canadiens -- something that has enough weight that his ownership is at 50% despite some treacherous numbers. Where the Habs had a record start out the gate this year, they have had an inability of late to support their goaltending with offensive production. In the month of December, the Canadiens have scored two goals or less every single game that Condon has been in net. Once they break out of the funk they're in right now, they'll find themselves mid-pack in the East, and ready to start climbing the standings again. While he's certainly not our first choice for goaltending now, if the aforementioned selections are gone, he's someone you might want to kick the tires on.